


A Ghost in the Machine

by human_nature (AllyHR)



Series: Genprompt Bingo [6]
Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Community: who_contest, Gen, Mystery, Spooky, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 19:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20494217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllyHR/pseuds/human_nature
Summary: The Doctor and Nyssa must contend with something loose in the TARDIS





	A Ghost in the Machine

The last few frames of night were giving away to dawn’s golden light as Nyssa entered the immense library of the TARDIS. It had been a rather sleepless night for the Trakenite, who unlike her Time Lord friend, Nyssa had not yet acquired the ability to go without sleep and hoped that perhaps a bit of light late night reading would be a perfect way to calm her down. Sitting on one of the overstuffed couches, Nyssa began to pour over the bevy of books on a nearby table: everything from an intermediate xenobiology text to a first edition of _Grey’s Anatomy_ to a dog-eared copy of something called _The Colour of Magic _ with the author’s signature emblazoned on the cover. Nyssa was halfway through a dissertation on the anatomical structure of the people of Thoros Gamma when something caught her eye. Inside the book lay a much smaller book: thin and flat, roughly the size of an Earth item Tegan showed her once called a magazine, The cover was black and white; with a strange combination of letters and numbers along the sides. And most out of place, an outline of a flying crow in one corner. The Trakenite experimentally opened the strange book. To her surprise, she was not greeted with text but instead a sound. It started soft like the rustling of so many pages but instantly grew louder until it was like the roar of a great sea. The noise grew and cascaded through each turn of a page until finally, to Nyssa’s relief, it ended on the penultimate page. But something seemed off. The crow on the cover had vanished only to reappear on the table before her. Extending a wing towards her, the bird emitted a caw that seemed to resonate like a whisper echoing in Nyssa’s head.

_Nyssa, _ the whisper began in a tone as cold as ice, _Lady of Traken. Daughter of Tremas. You have released me. _

“Who are you?” asked Nyssa. “How do you know my name?” 

At that moment, the temperature in the library started to grow colder as another caw came in response.

_I can see into your mind _the voice replied. _ I am Morrigan. I recognize this place from centuries past. And thanks to you, Trakenite, it will soon be mine. _

The next thing Nyssa knew she had collapsed to the floor; the cold air swirling around her as her mind became abuzz with an overload of images and noise: the groves on Traken at sunset, the final fate of her world, Adric and Tegan, Alaska and the Permians, the cold Swiss Alps, a Cybermat in the TARDIS...more and more they kept coming.

“Please stop!” Nyssa cried, her eyes closing, “Get out of my mind!” 

Meanwhile, the Doctor leaned over the panels of the TARDIS console watching as one button lit up while another went dark. It was a routine diagnostic procedure on the Old Girl, making sure many of her controls were enabled and functioning. That is, until an Arctic blast swept over the console room. That was odd. Making a note to check the temperature control, the blond Time Lord continued his checks when out of the corner of his eye caught something in the doorway. A flash of golden hair and school girl attire. Romana? Impossible She had left at the — Another image. Sarah? More and more images and several voices flashed into the doorway, the sudden shock cascading like water over the Time Lord. His confusion was interrupted at the sound of Nyssa’s cry echoing down the hallway from the library. As he entered the room, the Time Lord looked down to see his companion lying on the floor; her head in her hands. 

“Nyssa?” he called. “Nyssa!” 

A wicked sound like the crying of an angry crow rang out as something landed on the Doctor’s shoulder.  
_ Your friend was an immense help, Time Lord. She has set me free. Free to finish what I intended to do centuries ago. _

“Ah, Morrigan” said the Doctor as he placed his hands in his pockets. “I might have guessed.” 

_I can still recall our last encounter, _ came Morrigan’s voice; the crow inching ever closer to the Doctor’s head. _What was that other one’s name? Miss Smith? _

“Yes, thank you” he answered curtly as one hand reached down to find the thin black book on the floor. “In the intervening time, Morrigan, I’ve done some investigating. And thanks to the good people of Adal-VI, I believe I know the one thing that can keep your wings permanently clipped. “ He turned the the book over to the final page. Turning it on its side, the Doctor began to read the small series of numbers scrawled in the corner: “ _Zero zero zero zero zero one zero zero.” _

A final dreadful caw shook the library as the crow returned to its roost on the book’s cover. As the temperature began returning to normal, Nyssa stirred. 

“Doctor?” she asked sleepily, starting to sit up. 

“Ah, Nyssa” he replied, feeling relieved. “You’re awake.” 

“What was that?” asked the Trakenite; still more than a little groggy.

“A Morrigan Virus.” the Doctor answered, taking her hand and leading her out of the TARDIS library. “ A sort of virtual ghost. It manifests as a common crow and once it finds a suitable nest, it’s inclined to keep any other inhabitants out by any means necessary. I encountered it several lifetimes ago; almost took over my TARDIS then. Thankfully, I was more prepared this time. Now then, “ he started as they walked. “I believe I could do with a cup of tea . Would you care for one? ”

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Amnesty challenge at Who_Contest (using the prompt In the TARDIS.
> 
> Also for the "Supernatural happenings" box at Gen Prompt Bingo
> 
> References to Logopolis as well as a few Big Finish (Land of the Dead/ Winter for the Adept/ Spare Parts) .
> 
> Morrigan's name means (according to Behind the Name) : "great queen." In Irish mythology she was the goddess of war and death. Often took the form of a crow.
> 
> All the one's and zero's are an actual binary code.


End file.
